National News
EndBadGovernance: Group Asks FG to Release Detained Protesters Now or Face Nationwide Mobilization Against “State Repression.”
EndBadGovernance: Group Asks FG to Release Detained Protesters Now or Face Nationwide Mobilization Against “State Repression.”
By: Michael Mike
The Movement for the Transformation of Nigeria (MOTiON) has said it is outraged and appalled by the blatant display of government repression that has led to the unconscionable detention of 76 protesters across the nation including 32 minors.
The group in a statement on Sunday by its Convener, Hauwa Mustapha, noted that these protesters are being charged with ludicrous accusations of terrorism, attempted mutiny, and treason simply for exercising their democratic right to protest against government mismanagement of the commonwealth resources, hunger and hardship.
The statement read that: “This alarming attempt to criminalize peaceful expression as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution as Amended is yet another assault on the fundamental rights and freedoms of Nigerian citizens.
“It is increasingly apparent that the Nigerian government is not only weaponizing state power but is also acting in dangerous alignment with external forces like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. In seeking to implement an agenda driven by these international entities, the government has seemingly resorted to brutal repression to silence dissent and discourage citizens from publicly resisting harmful policies.
“The government’s actions— including detaining minors, inflicting trauma on protesters, and issuing punitive bail conditions – of N10 million each send a clear message that protests, and free expression are being treated as criminal acts and is a shameless and deliberate act designed to keep them imprisoned indefinitely and send a warning to all who might dare to dissent.”
The statement added that: “The root causes of these protests reflect deep-seated issues of bad governance, a crippling inflation rate that has sharply reduced the purchasing power of citizens, and an unmanageable cost of living that leaves countless Nigerians grappling with hunger and poverty.
“Rather than the government addressing these deep-rooted issues of poverty which is affecting over 65 percent of citizens and has seen at least 20 million children roaming the streets of the nation, government has resorted to high handed approach of fighting the very citizens it swore to protect.
“These are the real crises that have driven citizens to take to the streets, to demand accountability and a government that prioritizes the well-being of its people over external agenda.”
MOTiON further said: “The coordinated suppression of public expression is uncalled for, as it is disturbingly aligned with an IMF and World Bank playbook notorious for encouraging governments to suppress their people to enforce often oppressive economic reforms.
“The Nigerian government’s partnership with these entities has evidently come at the cost of the democratic rights of its own citizens.
“These recent events position the current administration as systematically paving the way toward full state capture and adopting a dangerous blend of dictatorship under the guise of democracy. MOTiON calls upon the Federal Government to recognize that dissent is not a crime; it is a democratic right. Attempts to criminalize it will only strengthen the resolve of the Nigerian people to demand justice and accountability.”
MOTiON emphatically demanded for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained protesters, including the minors, by the Attorney General of the Federation, who has the authority to withdraw these “baseless charges.”
“An end to the criminalization of peaceful protest and a complete halt to the harassment of citizens exercising their constitutional rights.”
It said failure to heed these demands will compel MOTiON “to mobilize the full force of our membership, along with millions of Nigerians, to resist this unbridled tyranny. MOTiON will not rest until justice is served. We are prepared to confront this state repression head-on, alongside every Nigerian who believes in a just and democratic society.”
MOTiON, according to the statement, is a collective force of Nigerians from mass democratic organisations, workers’ organisations, pro-democracy movements, movements for social justice, women groups, citizens groups, NGOs, academia, students and youth groups, and climate action groups.
The statement described the group as “a movement of movements channelling shared anger, frustration and aspirations of Nigerians into purposeful action. Through concerted, strategic effort, we are engaging in citizens’ actions to address and overcome the root causes of Nigeria’s current state: elite capture, ineffective leadership, institutional corruption, insecurity, and the pervasive culture of impunity.”
EndBadGovernance: Group Asks FG to Release Detained Protesters Now or Face Nationwide Mobilization Against “State Repression.”
NAN, AWALCO Partners to Promote ECOWAS Parliament
By: Michael Mike
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has pledged to partner the Association of West African Legislative Correspondents (AWALCO) to publicise the activities of the ECOWAS Parliament, particularly its 25th anniversary celebrations.
The Managing Director of the agency, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali,, made the pledge when the leadership of the association paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja on Thursday.
Ali while expressing appreciation to the association’s officials for deeming it worthy to pay him a courtesy visit, said as Africa’s biggest news content provider, NAN was home to all.
He said: “For deeming it worthy to come and pay us this courtesy call, the agency is appreciative.
“We hope that it will help the Parliament achieve its goals, and raise awareness, like you said, about its activities.
“On our part, the News Agency of Nigeria, like you know, is Africa’s biggest news content provider.”
He noted that the agency is the most authentic and biggest news hub in Africa, with a domineering influence and reach within the West African subregion.
Ali said: “So, with an association like this, certainly in the News Agency of Nigeria, you find a soulmate, a fellow traveler. You are welcome. We look forward to partnering and doing more, and the News Agency of Nigeria is your home.”
Speaking earlier, AWALCO President, Mr Innocent Odoh, explained that the purpose of the visit was to seek the collaboration and support of NAN, as the indisputable leader in terms of news credibility reportage, and viability.
He said that ECOWAS Parliament would be marking its 25th anniversary on November 16 and a series of activities had been lined up for it.
Odoh said that AWALCO, being the association of the parliament’s press corps, was fully involved in it by way of planning to give the occasion a media and publicity glitz.
He said this would help to propagate the ideals of ECOWAS in general, and ECOWAS Parliament in particular, and make the objectives of ECOWAS Commission and Parliament known globally, starting from the subregion.
He said: “In terms of viability, if we talk about the repository of news in all ramifications, in all dimensions, I think the News Agency of Nigeria comes first before any other one.
“So, what we are doing is in line with the media advocacy that we are projecting for the ECOWAS Parliament at 25.
“We can see that if the collaboration with NAN takes off as we planned it, I think it will go a long way in expanding the vision of the association.”
The AWALCO president further said that the partnership would determine how the regional bloc is run, especially at a time that so many things about ECOWAS needed to be interrogated.
“That is why we’re here, to seek that collaboration, to seek that support, how we can deepen that collaboration to ensure that the citizens of the Parliament understand what is happening around them.
“ECOWAS has a vision of 2050 but many people may not be aware of it, but collaborations like this can open up an opportunity for people to understand the vision of ECOWAS,” he added
on her part, Chief Communication Officer, ECOWAS Parliament, Mrs Uche Duru,, who was part of the delegation, in a remark, extended greetings from ECOWAS Parliament Speaker and Secretary-General to Ali and NAN’s management.
The spokesperson for the parliament said the association was beyond Nigeria, as its membership encompassed the entire West Africa, including even from member states that were threatening to exit or had already exited.
NAN, AWALCO Partners to Promote ECOWAS Parliament
National News
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria is not taking lightly the shooting of an immigration officer at a Chinese firm in Jos, Plateau State.
The Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo who narrated the story,
The federal government has threatened a serious diplomatic row with the Republic of China over maltreatment of a Nigerian Immigration Service officer shot by a Chinese company in Nigeria for asking for the company’s expatriate list.
Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who narrated the story on Thursday in Abuja at a stakeholders sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Visa policy 2025, said Nigeria is not handling the matter with kid gloves as it would be taken up as a diplomatic issue.
Tunji-Ojo lamented that the development alone is an attack on Nigeria. It will never be condoned.
He said the Immigration officer, who was on official duty, had visited the Chinese company in Jos, Plateau state, to check the list of the company’s expatriates, but the owner of the company ordered a security officer in the premises to shoot the government official.
Tunji-Ojo said: “I won’t go to China as a Nigerian, open a company and tell my security to shoot a government official in uniform. It’s never done anywhere in the world.
“These officers put their lives on the line. These officers serve this country with their all. And you will not come from anywhere and ask them to shoot them in their fatherland.
“It will no longer happen. We will take it up with you. Because that company, we (Nigerian government) have the power to withdraw their business permit Nigeria and declare them illegal.”
He wondered how it had become an offence for an Immigration officer to visit a foreign company and demand to see their expatriate list.
He said: “It will not happen again. So we’re going to be very hard. We will not stop your business. We will not overburden your business. But don’t make us inferior in our own land. No, please.
“And we’re going to be very tough on this. Because talking to you, I’m not just talking with passion on this topic, I’m talking with a lot of anger, because that guy that was shot is a Nigeria that we all swore to protect by virtue of the laws of Nigeria, by the constitution. That Immigration guy was not shot by a terrorist, is a father, he is a son to somebody. He is a husband to somebody. That cannot happen anywhere in the world.
“We will not tolerate it. Please, no agent, no company is above the law,” the Minister declared
Nigeria, China May Head for Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Immigration Officer at Chinese Firm
Nigeria Explores CNG Technology to Power Defence, Industrial Vehicle Fleets
By: Michael Mike
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar has led a high-level delegation on a tour of UROVESA—a renowned Spanish manufacturer of military and industrial vehicles.
The visit focused on exploring potential collaboration in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) technology for powering Nigeria’s defence and industrial vehicle fleets.
The minister was accompanied on the visit by key figures including the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo; Presidential CNG Initiative representative, Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi; Engr. Henry Oki; and the Special Assistant for Gas Business and Investment to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), where they all engaged in detailed discussions with UROVESA executives.
During the visit, Tuggar emphasized the longstanding trade ties between Nigeria and Spain, noting that Spain remains one of Nigeria’s top trading partners, with Nigerian crude oil exports reaching $3.64 billion in 2023.
He lauded UROVESA’s innovative approach to producing all-terrain, armoured, tactical, and logistical vehicles, and expressed Nigeria’s growing interest in and implementation of CNG-powered solutions.
Tuggar also highlighted Nigeria’s business-friendly economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which have positioned the country as a prime destination for investment in clean energy technologies. The discussions provided a valuable platform for further exploration of future collaborations between UROVESA and Nigeria’s Ministry of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) in CNG-powered vehicle production and supply.
According to a statement by the foreign affairs minister spokesman, Alkasim AbdulKadir, the engagement not only reinforced Nigeria’s commitment to a green energy future but also laid the groundwork for modernizing the nation’s defence and industrial fleets with environmentally friendly and cost-effective energy solutions.
He said the promising outcome of the discussions sets the stage for a strategic partnership that is expected to foster sustainable innovation and drive economic growth for both Nigeria and UROVESA.
Nigeria Explores CNG Technology to Power Defence, Industrial Vehicle Fleets
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